Statins Have No Effect on Risk

Medicines called statins can lower "bad" (LDL) cholesterol in people whose cholesterol levels are too high. A study found that statins had no effect at all on the risk of several cancers, including breast cancer.

Medicines sometimes seem to have benefits that aren't related to what they were developed and approved to do. In the lab, statins stopped the growth and spread of cancer cells. So doctors wondered whether statins could lower the risk of certain cancers. But this study showed that statins don't lower the risk of breast cancer or any other cancer.

Researchers continue to look for better ways to treat breast cancer, as well as better ways to reduce risk. Right now, there are steps you can take to lower your risk of breast cancer. Visit the breastcancer.org Lower Your Risk section to learn more.